Please help me improve skincare routine!

[littlespeckledfrog]

Would be grateful for any suggestions. I'm 41 with quite dry/sensitive skin. I do have lines but they're not too bad, possibly as I'm pale and have always used SPF but I do have a few broken capillaries (appreciate these are there to stay unless I consider laser treatment) and some redness/unevenness on my cheeks. Also dark circles. At the moment I'm doing:

AM
Liz earle hot cloth cleanser
The ordinary vitamin c serum
Avene moisturiser and eye cream
La Roche posay spf

PM
Liz earle hot cloth cleanser
Avene night cream and eye cream
Occasionally Vaseline on super dry areas

From what I'm reading I should consider adding retinol (skin reacted quite badly the last time I tried this). Possibly hyaluronic acid may help with dryness?

Thank you Mumsnet experts!

I'm no expert but I think retinol should help, I believe you apply around 15 mins prior to night cream & eye cream. Use only 2/3 times per week x

You seem to tick a lot of boxes for rosacea, have you considered you may have it? Would explain the redness, broken capillaries, patches of dryness and bad reaction to retinol.

With rosacea in mind I'd switch out the Liz Earle cleanser for something bland without essential oils or fragrance and swap out the vitamin c serum for a more gentle derivative of vitamin c (unless you're already using that as you're not specifying the exact one, avoid the L-Ascorbic acid ones anyhow). For the rest, be as gentle as you can, mineral SPF is the safest choice but not always the most pleasant to use, a chemical SPF that uses primarily new chemical filters are a good alternative, generally French pharmacy brands that market it as for sensitive or rosacea skin.

Skincare is so personal and usually unfortunately down to trial and error over a period of time, so what works for me might not for you.

If your skin is sensitive then I would consider ditching the Liz Earle for a milder brand on account of the fragrance being a potential irritant.

If full on Tret is too much for you then you could try a night cream with retinol to start you off and see how you go?

For hyaluronic acid, I would recommend Hada Labo products - the serum in the red packaging for over 35s really does plump up your skin and sort of ' fill out' fine lines.

Thank you, this is all really helpful. I have vaguely considered if it's rosacea, although it's not been so much of a problem that it's bothered me enough to look into it further, I guess.

The vit c serum is a standard ascorbic acid one. Will look at a milder one and an unscented cleanser and see if those help. X

That step by step guide has a lot of errors in it, would not recommend following that at all.

Sorry, got distracted, meant to say Op, you might like the Avene extremely gentle cleanser , it's a pretty solid gentle bland cleanser.

That guide involves lots of steps!

Thank you, I do seem to get on with the Avene products (having tried plenty of more expensive options in the past!) Will order the cleanser.

If you do add Retinol I would switch out the vit c for a while until you settle. A plain cleanser would be the oat milk Inky List one.

I always rate Medik8 for over the counter Retinol. I use Tret but I would do a year on Retinol first and not jump into that.

Do you get benefit from your eye cream? I think they are a waste of money personally but skincare is personal.

I'm inclined to agree about the eye cream. I'd love a magic one that would banish the dark circles but feel like perhaps the only way to improve those is through good diet, sleep, drinking lots of water etc etc (which I do try and do but life does sometimes interfere).

Problem is with dark circles the only thing that can theoretically help is retinol as it helps thicken the skin so it's less dark visibly. There's one by beauty of joseon which is meant to be gentle as it uses Retinal (and eye products contain lower dosages anyhow) but it's a risk considering your previous reaction to retinol.

Doadeer's mention of the oat cleanser reminded me that you might like the Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum for Sensitive Skin as a hydrating serum, as an alternative to hyaluronic acid, it's gentler and HA can be a wild card too in terms of irritation, it really helps with barrier health.

Thanks all, this is so helpful and I'll look at the recommended products. Skincare seems to have developed so much over the years which is great, but also harder to navigate!

Jesus wept, that eleven step routine is awful.

Lots of eye creams that claim to help with dark circles are just make up products that have reflecting ingredients so it hides them. I don't think you can alter dark circles with a cream.

You absolutely don't need 12 steps. And I say this as someone who LOVES skincare!

Thank you @botemp for recommending the Aveeno serum. It's made my skin much happier in a matter of days!

Ah brilliant, glad it's doing the job.

Im 42 and started using tretinoin with hydroquinone on my prescription due to hyperpigmentation. I feel it’s really really helped my dark circles, although they are still there but not nearly as prominent.

My daily skincare routine was awful before I started on this. I would wash my face with shower gel in the morning and put some moisturiser on before make up then at night would use make up wipes to take my make up off and nothing else.

I keep my skin care routine pretty simple. In the evening I double cleanse with The Ordinary squalane cleanser or cerave foaming oil cleanser then use Dermatica, wait 10 minutes then apply weleda skin food. The tretinoin dried out my skin and Weleda is is the only thing that helped. In the morning I cleanse again using one of the cleansers, put some La roch-posay facial serum, illyoon ato moisturiser then sp50.

Wow, you can really see the difference!

But, the step by step procedure brings the proven results. I will never suggest the fake or unproven results. It may not suitable for you. But, someone will beneficial with it right.

But the picture you posted is full of bad and erroneous advice that is not scientifically backed and will lead to harm in many cases. Every skincare routine will be step by step by default, but the one you posted would be very harmful to skin health and shouldn't be followed. Nothing wrong with a step by step approach in general though, just don't follow that one if you like to keep your skin barrier in good health.

Here are some steps you can follow to improve your skincare routine:
Determine your skin type: Before starting any new skincare routine, it's important to determine your skin type. This will help you choose the right products that are best suited for your skin's needs.
Cleanse: Cleansing is an important step in any skincare routine as it removes dirt, oil, and makeup from your skin. Choose a gentle, non-irritating cleanser that is appropriate for your skin type.
Exfoliate: Exfoliating helps to remove dead skin cells, which can lead to dull, dry skin. Choose a gentle exfoliant that is suitable for your skin type and use it 1-2 times a week.
Tone: Toning helps to restore the skin's natural pH balance and can also help to remove any traces of makeup or dirt that may have been left behind after cleansing. Choose a toner that is appropriate for your skin type.
Treat: This step involves using serums, treatments, and spot treatments to target specific skin concerns, such as fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, or acne.
Moisturize: Moisturizing is an essential step in any skincare routine, as it helps to hydrate and nourish the skin. Choose a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin type.
Protect: Finally, don't forget to protect your skin from the sun's harmful UV rays. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, even on cloudy days.
It's important to remember that everyone's skin is different, so what works for someone else may not work for you. Be patient and give your skincare routine time to work. It may take several weeks or even months to see noticeable results. If you have any concerns or questions about your skin, it's always best to consult with a dermatologist.

Retinol did sweet FA to my skin.